Mechanical can opener



March 17, 1925.

A. MENDENHALL MECHANICAL CAN OPENER Filed Max ch 15, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A1 Menden/zafi March 17, 1925.

A. MENDENHALL MECHANICAL CAN OPENER le March 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 17, 1925 ICE.

ALBERT'MENDENHALL, OF OSKALOOSA, IOWA.

MECHANICAL CAN OPENER.

Application filed March 15, 1924. Serial No. 699,469.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I ALBERT MENDENHALL, a. citizenof the United States, residing at Oskaloosa, in the county of Mahaska and State of Iowa, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Mechanical Can Openers, of which the followingis a specification. I

The present invention relates to a mechanical can opener primarily intended for hotels and restaurants where a great number of cans containing preserves and food are opened daily and where an ordinary can opener would be practically useless.

This can opener is similar to the one previously patented by me and carrying the Patent No. 1,271,922, dated July 9, 1918, and is an improvementthereon.

One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings; and

Figure 1 is a side elevation and partial sectionof the can opener'erected on a stand or table;

Figure 2 is a partial top view of Fig. 1 on a larger scale; V

Figure 3 is a vertical section along line 33 of Fig. 1; I Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical section .along line 44 of Fig. 2;

Figure 5 isa transverse section along line 5-5 of Fig. 4, and t Figure 6 is a horizontal section along line 6+6 of Fig. 5. I

In the drawings, reference. numeral 10 represents a stand or table upon which the can opener is mounted. This table hasa flat top 11 with air-aperture 12 in. which is gulded a bar 13 which extends above and below the top 11 for the purpose of engaging a bracket 14 at the top and pivotally engage at the lower end, as at 15, with a foot lever 16. This lever is fulcrumed as at 17 in a suitable hinge member 18 rigidly secured in the bottom of the stand or table 10 and at the front end of the foot lever has a trea'dle 19 in aconvenient position to be actuated by the operators foot. Under the. top 11 is secured a suspension rod 20 which at its lower end carries a tension spring 21 the lower end of which is secured in the foot lever 16. This spring is strong enough to raise the foot lever 16 into its highest full line position, as indicated in Fig. 1 and to raise the bar 13 together with the bracket 14, as indicated in said Fig. 1.

In suitable slots 22, provided in the table top 11, are guided a pair of clamping jaws 23 adapted to slide to and from each other in a horizontal plane. These jaws are preferably V-shaped, as indicated at 24, and have a downwardly extending stud 25 projecting through the slot- 22 below the table top 11. To each of these studs is attached a cord 26 which runs over a pulley 27 journ'aled as at 28 in bearing blocks 29 beneath the table top 11, as best seen in Figs. 1 and 3. The cords 26 run over opposite sides of their respective pulleys 27 and their lower ends are united by clasps 30 to which is attached the upper end of a tension spring 31. The lower end of this spring is engaged in an arm 32 extending in transverse direction from the bar 13 and on which it is rigidly secured, as at 33, see Fig. 1.

A pair of tension springs 84 tend to separa'te the jaws 23 and are for this reason suspended between the respective studs 25 and suitable hooks 35 secured on the under side of the table top 11 so that normally the jaws 23 are positioned at the rear ends of their slots22.

The bracket 14 engages around the bar 13 by means of an opening 37 fitting snugly around the bar 13 and a thumb screw 38 is threaded on the rear end of the bracket 14 and intended to clamp the bracket in an adjustable position on the bar 13, this adj ustment being made in accordance-with the height of the can to be opened. The length of the bracket 14 is so selectedthat its outer end can comfortably engage the centerof the largest can to be opened when the latter is held under the bracket arm by the jaws 23. The outer end of the bracket 14 has a horizontally directed recess 39 adapted to engage with a Hat operating arm which is journaled on a pivot 41 carried in a. vertical position in the upper end of. the bracket 14 in such a mannerthat the arm 40 can swing inthe bracket approximately 270 in a horizontal plane. The arm 40 and pivot 41 are held together by pin 42. j j The operating arm 40 is formed with a guide or channel 43 running in radial direction from the pivot 41 and in which is mounted a slide 44 in the outer end of which is threaded a retracting spindle 45 guided in an aperture at the outer end of the operating arm 40 and terminating with a knob 47. Around the spindle 45 is=1nounted a compression spring 48 abutting with its means of a cotter or taper 7 tends in a downward direction an adjusting ends respectively against the slide 44 and the end of the guide channel 43 in the op erating arm 40. In this manner the slide 9' member or guide 70 which is preferably made from a round steel rod and provided wlth a downwardly curved tail 71 extending in the radial plane of the operating arm 40. This uide 70' is intended to en a 'e a b a:

(ill with the circumferential top edge of the I can 7 and when the bracket 14 is lowered over the same,- this will cause the slide 44 to travel downwardly thus properly locating the knife blade 54 with relation to the circumferential top edge of the can. This downward movement of the slide 44 may be assisted by a pull on the knob 47.-

At the inner end of the slide 44 is to be found an opening 52 running in a vertical direction thereto and in which is carried a shank 53 of a knife-or cutting blade 54. This blade has a shoulder 55- at the lower end of the shank which is drawn uptightly against the bottom face of the slide 44 by means of a wing nut 56 threaded on the shank 53-, as best seen in Figs. 4 and 5. The blade 54 has two oppositely directed cutting edges 5"( and the blade is so mounted that these edges lie in a transverse plane to the radial plane of the operating arm 40. The blade is preferably lancet shaped terminating with a sharp point 58. On the rear side of the blade is furnished a projecting spur 59. This spur follows the contour of the point of the blade and is tapered, both in a horizontal and vertical plane, so as to form a sharp edge 60 on the rear side thereof also running down to the point 58. This spur is intended to pierce the top of the can before the actual cutting commences.

On the under side of the bracket 14 is provided several short sharp pointed prongs 61 which are intended to penetrate the top of the can when the bracket is lowered over the same and to hold the bracket and the can in firm engagement during the operation. The bracket hasan upwardly extendiirg crown 62 connected therewith by means of arcuate arms 63 providing a bearing 64 for a bevel pinion 65 which is keyed to the pivot 41 so that the pinion, the pivot and the operating arm 40 are positively connected and compelled to turn together. toothed segmental rack 66meshes with the pinion 65 and is journaled on aspindle 6? in the crown 62 and with this segmental rack 66 is rigidly connected hand lever 68 with a horizontally directed handle 69. It will now be evident that when the handle 69 is turned, the segmental rack 66 will cause the pinion 65 to rotate together with the pivot 41 and the operating arm 40.

The use and operation of the device is as follows:

A can 75 to be opened is placed upright on the table top 11, as indicated in Figures 1 and 3-, after the bracket 14' has been secured at the proper height above the table upon the bar 1.3 to permit the easy insertion of the can. lVhen the handle 69 is turned side- 17 ways, for instance, in the direction of the thumb screw 38, the operating arm 40 will turn sideways, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2'. The operator next presses the foot lever 16 with his foot resting on the treadle 19, stretching the springs 21 and 31. The spring 31 will then pull downwardly on the cords 26 which roll over their respective pulleys QT thereby drawingtogether the aws h 23' against the tension of their springs 34, v

when the jaws will firn ily grip the can 75 and center the same between them under the bracket 14. As the spring 21 permits continued downward pressure of the foot lever 16, the bar 13 will be simultaneously lowered together with the bracket 14 secured thereon. At a certain point of the downward travel of the bracket 14 the guide 70 will engage with its tail 71 one point of the upper circumferential edge of the can 75. The latter now being held firmly between the jaws 23, will withstand the side pressure of the tail 71 and remain upright while the tail piece 71 compels the slide 44 to be pushed outwardly against the action of the spring 48 so that when the straight part of the guide 70 contacts with the perpendicular side of the can 75- the spur 59 of the knife blade will strike the top of the can near its circumferential upper edge. By pulling on the knob 47 the adjusting of the slide 44' may be facilitated. A continued pressure on the treadle 1.9 will. then cause the spur 59 to pierce the top of the can, forming a: V-shaped cut therein, and finally, when the bottom surface of the bracket 14 has descended upon the top of the can, the prongs 61 will have entered through the top plate and firmly hold the can during the operation.

The operator continues to press down the treadle 19" and now grips the handle 69 which stands in a lowered position as indicated in Figure 2, with. the pinion 64 engaging the end portion of the segmental toothed bracket 66 and the operating arm 40 is initsextreme end position point partly against the operator. The latter now swings the handle a half turn when: the operating. arm 40 will swing substantially three-eightlrs of a turn past the central, vertical plane of the bracket 14. After the spur 59 has pierced the top of the can thus producing atriangular opening therein, the spur will be a short distance below the top of the can so that the side edges 5? now come into operation and make a circular cut in the plate. The can is now open and the operator may return the handle 69v to central or upright position and then lift his foot off the treadle 19, When the spring 21 will first raise the bracket 14 from the can 75 disengaging the prongs 61 and the knife 54; therefrom While the spur 59 on the knife- Will catch the edge of the c'uttop and bend the same upward. The jaws 23 continue to hold the can firmly until the knife 54 has left the top thereof. During the last part of the lifting of the foot lever 16 the tension springs 34 Will cause the opening of the j aWs 23 to release the can.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed as new is: v s

1. A cutting blade of substantially lancet shape having two opposite cutting edges, and a spur at the end of the blade projecting in one direction from its side face, the sides of the spur converging to form a third cutblade ting edge thus providing a piercing point of substantially triangular cross section at the end of the blade.

2. A cutter mechanism including a carrier adapted to engage the top of a can, a slide guided upon said carrier, a cutting blade as described in claim 1 secured in the slide, and a positioning element for the slide.

3. A cutter mechanism including a carrier adapted to engage the top of a can, a slide guided upon said carrier, a cutting blade as described in claim 1 secured in the slide, and a positioning element for the slide comprising a depending shank on the slide.

4. A cutter mechanism including a carrier adapted to engage the top of a can, a slide guided upon said carrier, a. cutting as described in claim 1 secured in the slide, and a positioning element for the slide comprising a depending shank on the slide, said depending shank terminating with an outwardly curved tail iece.

In testimony Whereof I afliX my signature.

ALBERT MENDENHALL. [1 s.] 

